The present invention relates to a vehicle cargo compartment, in particular an aircraft cargo compartment. Further aspects of the invention relate to a system of such a vehicle cargo compartment and at least one cargo unit received in said vehicle cargo compartment, as well as to a vehicle, in particular an aircraft, comprising such a vehicle cargo compartment.
The vehicle cargo compartment comprises a compartment housing and at least one latch device. The compartment housing is adapted for being received in a vehicle, in particular in an aircraft fuselage. The latch device is mounted to said compartment housing and adapted for locking a cargo unit received in said vehicle cargo compartment, in a fixed and predetermined position with respect to said compartment housing. Said cargo unit may be e.g., a “Unit Load Device” (ULD) commonly used for loading of an aircraft and in the form of a container or a pallet.
Said latch device comprises a latch housing mounted to said compartment housing, and at least a first latch claw moveably mounted to said latch housing. Said first latch claw is moveable, preferably pivotable, between a latched position, where the first latch claw is adapted to engage a corresponding engagement section on a cargo unit received in the vehicle cargo compartment, and an unlatched position, where the first latch claw is adapted to disengage from said engagement section.
Further, a latch sensor system is provided comprising a position sensor and a target element, said position sensor being adapted for detecting a predetermined position of the target element and generating a latch signal when the target element is in said predetermined position. The position sensor preferably is a magnetic proximity sensor and the target element preferably comprises a ferromagnetic metal material.
One of the position sensor and the target element is mounted to the first latch claw and the other one of the position sensor and the target element is mounted alternatively either to the latch housing, to the compartment housing, or to a second latch claw which is moveably mounted to the latch housing.
Such vehicle cargo compartments are known in the art of aircraft cargo systems. The known latch sensor system, i.e. the position sensor and the target element are positioned and adapted in such a manner that the position sensor detects the position of the target element and generates a latch signal, when the first latch claw and the second latch claw are in the unlatched position. In such a way, when it is detected that the latch claws are in the unlatched position a roller drive can be initiated driving one or more rollers installed on the compartment housing in a rotating manner, said rollers in turn engaging the outer surface of a cargo unit, thereby moving said cargo unit along the compartment housing without the cargo unit being restrained by the latch claws. However, with the arrangement of the latch sensor system known in the art it is merely possible to reliably detect when the latch claws are in the unlatched position.
In connection with the vehicle cargo compartments known in the art, after completing the process of loading the cargo compartment with cargo units the loadmaster has to verify that each cargo unit is properly latched in its intended position in the compartment, so that it does not move during the flight. Such verifying is carried out manually, i.e. the loadmaster has to sight check each single latch device and each single cargo unit. This process takes a long time and at some particular aircraft types is very difficult to be handled, as their cargo compartments do not provide much space for the loadmaster to move along.